Chapter 1345
He Yushui's Birthday, Private Jet, Xiao Mei's Family Protest
The approval process for the VVVF electric train project was even faster than Li Aiguo had anticipated.
That afternoon, Li Aiguo was about to return to his studio when he received a notification from Liu Guozhang.
As soon as he entered the office, Liu Guozhang greeted him with a smile and got straight to the point: "Patriotism, good news!"
The ministries attached great importance to our VVVF electric train project and gave it the green light.
The higher-ups have spoken: if you need people, provide them; if you need equipment, provide it!
If you have any other specific ideas, please bring them up quickly!
To people? To equipment?
Li Aiguo was immediately delighted. The blueprints and technology for the VVVF electric train were readily available; what was lacking were personnel and equipment.
"Teacher, I think the engineers at Jichun Factory and Zhuzhou Research Institute are quite skilled, especially Chief Engineer Liao."
Upon hearing this, Liu Guozhang felt that Li Aiguo's request was excessive, after all, this project had been snatched from the hands of these two companies.
However, Liu Guozhang carefully considered the matter in his mind.
Chief Engineer Liao and his group were indeed top experts in the field of electric locomotives in China.
If I could join, that would be perfect.
But how should I bring it up?
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Chief Engineer Liao walked in.
"Old Liao, Aiguo was just talking to me about you, and you just happened to appear out of nowhere."
"Director Liu, I'm here to volunteer."
"Volunteer?" Liu Guozhang was taken aback.
As soon as Chief Engineer Liao came in, he didn't waste any words and said directly, "Our factory's projects have been suspended. If you don't mind, I, this old man, can still do my part."
What does it mean to be dozing off and suddenly receive a helpful gift? This is it!
Li Aiguo grabbed Chief Engineer Liao's hand and said, "Chief Engineer Liao, you're too kind. I would be more than happy to accept your help. With your assistance, we will definitely be able to develop our VVVF electric train."
Chief Engineer Liao breathed a sigh of relief.
To say that he felt no resentment at all would be a lie.
After all, years of hard work had been halted.
However, the technological prospects of VVVF electric trains are simply too tempting!
As an old engineer who dreams of developing an advanced electric train, what does personal pride matter in the face of this groundbreaking technology?
Nothing is more exhilarating than being personally involved in such a historic project.
"Actually, besides me, there are a few others, like Lao Zhang and Lao Chen," Chief Engineer Liao said, mentioning several names, all of whom were key personnel from Jichun Factory and Zhuzhou Institute.
"They also spoke with me privately, wanting to learn advanced technologies from Comrade Li Aiguo and contribute their efforts to the new project," Chief Engineer Liao said sincerely.
"I wouldn't dare call myself a student. If you'd like to come, I'd definitely welcome you with open arms, haha." Li Aiguo felt like he'd struck gold.
Liu Guozhang was also taken aback by this situation. He originally thought he would have to do some work, but unexpectedly, they came to him on their own initiative.
He felt as if he had underestimated the appeal of the VVVF electric train.
"Then it's settled. Comrade Li Aiguo will serve as the project leader, Chief Engineer Liao as the deputy leader, and Engineer Zhang as the other deputy leader," Liu Guozhang made the final decision.
The "Old Zhang" that Liu Guozhang mentioned is the one who collaborated with Li Aiguo to upgrade the railway system's signaling system.
Old Zhang has now been promoted to Level 3 Engineer. If the VVVF project is a great success this time, he might be able to advance even further.
It's easier to get things done when you know someone. Engineer Zhang was in charge of the preliminary planning work and set up the research site at the Railway Technology Research Institute.
In the evening, Chief Engineer Liao returned to the guesthouse where he was staying.
The assistant, who had been waiting in the room, rushed forward to greet him upon his return and asked, "Chief Engineer, how did the talks go? When are we buying tickets to go back?"
Chief Engineer Liao waved his hand, poured himself a glass of water and drank it: "I won't be going back for now. Go and contact Jichun Factory and tell them that I'm on temporary assignment in Beijing and my return date is uncertain."
"Huh?" The assistant was stunned for a long time before she reacted.
"Chief Engineer, are you going to stay and help Li Aiguo with that VVVF electric train project? This...this isn't appropriate! We just had our project snatched away by them!"
Although the assistant didn't say it explicitly, the meaning was clear: You are the chief engineer of our factory, how can you go and work for the enemy?
Isn't this just boosting the morale of others and diminishing our own?
"Nonsense! At this critical moment of technological breakthrough, are you still clinging to those prejudices?!"
If we keep bickering and arguing all the time, when will we ever be able to develop our own truly advanced electric trains?!
In the face of technology, there are no enemies, only those who fall behind!
Chief Engineer Liao gave his assistant another dressing down.
The assistant also felt wronged.
He was also thinking about Chief Engineer Liao's reputation, so why is he not being understood?
At this point, the assistant didn't dare to say anything more and quickly contacted the factory.
Chief Engineer Liao then began searching for any outstanding technical personnel in the factory and recruiting them as well.
Even if you can't help, you can still learn a lot.
Just as Chief Engineer Liao was busy poaching employees from his former employer, Li Aiguo received good news from Anna in Da Mao.
However, this time it's not a transport aircraft that's finalized, but rather a business jet that has officially begun mass production!
"So, we can deliver them to the international market soon?" Li Aiguo's eyes lit up as he looked at the newly manufactured business jets.
If private jets are just for showing off, then the practical value of business jets should not be underestimated; this is another game-changer.
"The first batch is expected to consist of twenty aircraft. If sales are good, we can continue to increase production."
Anna was particularly interested in building both large and small airplanes.
"Then let's contact Yang Jizong."
After making a phone call to Yang Jizong, Li Aiguo rode his motorcycle back to the courtyard house.
Today is He Yushui's birthday, and Chen Xueru had been urging Li Aiguo to go back home for several days.
Besides the neighbors in the courtyard, there were also several of He Yushui's classmates.
Yan Jiedi, who lives in the compound, is also there. She is usually closest to He Yushui, and the two are whispering to each other.
The gifts from classmates were mostly stationery items such as plastic notebooks or fountain pens.
Chen Xueru took out a Hero fountain pen and face cream, and smiled as she wished He Yushui a happy birthday, while also wishing her excellent results in the college entrance examination.
He Yushui thanked Chen Xueru with great joy.
She looked up and saw Li Aiguo striding in. Her eyes immediately curved into crescents as she hurried to greet him.
"Brother Aiguo, you're finally back! I've been waiting for you for ages."
He Yushui stared longingly at the gift in Li Aiguo's hand, "What gift did you give me?"
"It must be a good thing. Look at this."
Li Aiguo smiled and handed a small, square box to He Yushui.
He Yushui curiously unpacked the package and opened the box.
Inside lay a delicate, black plastic box-like object with neatly arranged number keys on its surface and a long, gray-white rectangular display screen at the top.
"What is this? It's so beautiful!" He Yushui held it in her hands, turning it over and over to look at it, her eyes full of amazement.
“This is called an electronic calculator!” Li Aiguo explained with a smile.
That's right, what Li Aiguo took out was a portable calculator!
The core technology of this thing is not too difficult for Li Aiguo at present. The miniaturization of the processor can be completely accomplished with existing technology.
Throughout the entire research and development process, the most critical bottleneck was actually the manufacturing process of the LCD screen.
The Red Star Computer Research Institute went to great lengths to barely manage to produce this small-sized LCD screen.
It's about the width of a thumb, barely enough to display a row of numbers.
"Calculator? This thing can do math?" Several students, upon hearing this unfamiliar term, immediately gathered around curiously.
"Can you really calculate it yourself? Try adding 1+1 yourself!"
He Yushui carefully pressed the number keys, and numbers immediately appeared on the screen.
In an era when abacuses were still widely used, the shock value of this thing was absolutely no less than a dimensional reduction attack!
Wow! It really figured it out!
"That's amazing! This is much faster than an abacus!"
"Brother Aiguo, do you sell calculators at the department stores outside? I'd like my dad to buy me one too!"
Li Aiguo noticed that a young police officer in a crisp uniform was also standing in the crowd, craning his neck to look with curiosity.
That's right. After being admitted to a vocational school, the junior police officer is now interning at the Nantongluo Lane Police Station. He'll probably become a full-fledged police officer after graduation.
"Not yet, this is just a sample."
Upon hearing about the sample, the students all looked at He Yushui with admiration.
Holding the calculator, He Yushui felt a warm glow in her heart. Although she had broken off her relationship with Sha Zhu, she now had a biological brother.
By this time, Aunt Liu had already prepared the meal.
The meal was simple, just a home-cooked meal, but the key ingredient was longevity noodles, which are similar to cakes in later generations.
"Come, come, Yushui, eat this bowl of longevity noodles while it's hot." Aunt Liu looked at He Yushui and murmured auspicious words.
"After eating these longevity noodles, our family will be free from illness and disaster every year after the rainy season!"
As she spoke, Aunt Liu produced two boiled eggs as if by magic and stuffed them into He Yushui's hand.
"Eat these two eggs, it's a good omen! If we eat these eggs, our Yushui will get perfect scores in every subject when he goes to university!"
"Thank you, Mother!" He Yushui's eyes reddened slightly as she ate the noodles in large mouthfuls.
The room was immediately filled with laughter and cheerful conversation, creating a warm and joyful atmosphere.
Li Aiguo sat imposingly in his chair, a cup of hot tea in his hand, looking at the lively atmosphere in the room, a slight smile playing on his lips.
At this moment, Qin Huairu also arrived and offered a scarf. Although Qin Huairu knew that there was still a considerable grudge between her and He Yushui because of Sha Zhu's previous mess.
But to be honest, over the years, the two haven't had any major, embarrassing conflicts on the surface.
Today is He Yushui's birthday, and many people from the courtyard have come. It wouldn't be appropriate for her not to come.
"Happy birthday, Rain Water." Qin Huairu handed over the scarf in her hand.
"Huai Ru, don't stand there, sit down and have some food with us!"
Since the guests had come, Aunt Liu invited Qin Huairu to eat.
Qin Huairu looked around the room.
Li Aiguo was chatting and laughing with the local police officer, Chen Xueru was leisurely peeling sunflower seeds, and He Yushui was surrounded by her classmates.
Looking at the happy smiles on everyone's faces in the room, Qin Huairu felt extremely uncomfortable.
"No, Aunt Liu, you all eat. The children are still hungry at home, I have to hurry back to cook for them."
With a random excuse, Qin Huairu turned and left in a hurry.
Stepping out of the house and hearing the laughter inside, Qin Huairu felt a mix of emotions.
For the next period of time, Li Aiguo shuttled between the Railway Technology Research Institute and the Qianmen Locomotive Depot.
Chief Engineer Liao lived up to expectations, gathering a large group of technicians and engineers, all of whom had expertise in electric locomotives, and the electric train project progressed relatively smoothly.
The transport aircraft has passed the design finalization and has been officially named Dongfang No. 1. In terms of aviation, five aircraft were purchased in the first phase.
However, manufacturing a prototype for testing and actually producing a mass-produced machine on an assembly line are two completely different things.
The process control and supply chain coordination involved were extremely complicated, and Li Aiguo, as the person in charge, had to personally go to the workshop from time to time to keep an eye on things.
Just when Li Aiguo was extremely busy.
In the United States, far across the ocean, those established local aircraft manufacturers felt that this summer, which should have been scorching hot, was as cold and biting as a harsh winter.
Inside the luxurious conference room.
Several well-dressed aircraft manufacturing tycoons looked at the precipitous drop in sales figures on the table, then at the appalling financial statements, and finally glanced at the mountain of inventory.
Their faces were ashen, as if they had been thrown into the Arctic Ocean.
Ever since Hextech's private jets began to rake in orders in the international market, these local giants have been forced to retreat one after another.
In order to regain market share, they decided to adopt a two-pronged approach to save themselves.
You Asians sell them for a million US dollars apiece, right? Fine! Then we'll sell them for a few hundred thousand! That price should be achievable even if we have to jump off a building, right?
However, reality gave them a harsh slap in the face.
However, there is something called comparison; some people would rather wait six months to pick up their car than buy something else.
"Even if it's dirt cheap, I won't buy it! If I'm going to buy something, it has to be the top-of-the-line custom version, the 'Queen's style'!"
This has become a common saying among many wealthy people.
After all, that noble and elegant queen has a huge influence in the Western world, making her arguably the most powerful influencer.
Moreover, airplanes are not like cars that run on the ground; they fly at altitudes of several thousand meters!
If you manufacturers dare to sell airplanes this cheaply, how can the quality be guaranteed? Would I dare to fly in one?!
Seeing that their price-cutting strategy had completely failed, these aircraft manufacturers gritted their teeth and took a second step.
Since we can't produce a top-of-the-line five-seater luxury private jet, let's avoid the competition and develop slightly larger business jets! Like the Gulfstream series or something.
What is this called? This is called "individualized differences"!
Your private jet can only seat four or five people, and it operates on a small-circle route.
My private jet can comfortably seat a dozen or twenty people, making it suitable for team travel.
This is similar to the difference between a private car and a luxury minibus; they can always grab a share of the market, right?
however.
Never expected it!
Hextech has released another business jet.
When they heard the news, the traditional aircraft manufacturers were a little shocked, but not completely panicked.
After all, we're all selling business jets, and the scale is about the same. So why is Hextech's product the best-selling?
We have a long-standing reputation built over several years!
They contacted their clients, mainly the owners of large companies.
Mike is one of them. As the boss of a multinational company, he often travels around the world for meetings and has long wanted to buy a private jet, but he hasn't made up his mind yet.
"Oh? Your latest business jet has a price reduction? Such a big discount? Great, I'll bring some people over to check it out this weekend."
After Mike agreed, he hung up the phone and turned on the TV.
At that moment, an advertisement caught his eye.
"Hextech Jet, your top choice for global business travel."
The television commercial was filmed using masterful techniques, creating a powerful visual impact.
First, an extremely beautiful long shot is used to take a bird's-eye view of the sleek business jet from afar to a close-up.
The business jet, which is not particularly large in size, was captured with skillful camerawork and lighting to give it the imposing and powerful feel of a wide-body passenger plane!
The camera then shifts to the interior of the aircraft cabin.
The hotel boasts a complete collection of amenities, including top-quality genuine leather sofas hand-stitched, desks inlaid with precious wood, the latest extra-large 19-inch color TV, and a small wine cabinet.
In the video, there are also rows of elegant and dignified flight attendants standing by with charming smiles, serving passengers. It's a feast for the eyes.
But that's not the most fatal temptation.
What attracted Mike the most was the powerful voice-over announcement at the end of the advertisement.
"By purchasing a Hextech business jet, you will automatically be promoted to the highest level of lifetime VIP status in the world."
With just one phone call, you can immediately receive our most professional and comprehensive service, no matter where you are in the world.
Our services include airport pickup, hotel booking, and security escort, even if you are in a war-torn region.
Mike was completely swayed; for a wealthy man like him, security was of utmost importance.
Hextech has branches all over the world, and I've heard they even have mining protection teams in Africa.
This isn't buying a plane, it's clearly buying bodyguards.
This hidden added value makes it a sure-fire way to make money, even if you have to spend twice as much!
Mike picked up the phone without hesitation and dialed the number on the television.
"Hello? Hextech Sales? This is Mike. I want to order one of your latest business jets right now! Yes, full payment!"
The major aircraft manufacturers were waiting for orders, and now that they see their customers have all left, they realize the seriousness of the problem.
"This...this is impossible! I understand now, we can learn from Hextech! Launch a global VIP hotline service immediately!" an executive slammed his fist on the table and roared.
"Open a dedicated line? Are you going to pick them up and drop them off at the airport? Do you know what that advertisement is implying? Do you have a fully armed private army in Africa to protect your clients' safety?"
"This..." The executive who had been shouting just now fell silent instantly.
"I think the biggest problem right now is the advertising! This Hextech ad is just too provocative."
I think our top priority right now is to use our connections to find out exactly what this mysterious advertising company is all about.
Even if it costs a fortune, we must get them to film an advertisement for our planes!
"That's a good idea. If we can't beat them, we can join them!" Several executives nodded in agreement.
So, the major aircraft manufacturers sent their most skilled commercial spies to find out.
When the intelligence was sent back, the entire conference room fell into a deathly silence; everyone was stunned.
"According to reliable intelligence... the advertising company that handled the filming not only comes from the mysterious East, but their general manager is also a legendary Eastern woman, known in the industry as the 'Advertising Madwoman,' named... Lou Xiao'e."
"There's no hope now."
What surprised the major aircraft manufacturers even more was that several orders that were about to be finalized in South America inexplicably fell through.
"Damn it! What happened? Why are even those flour-selling outlaws in South America looking down on our planes now?!"
Unfortunately, Hextech's special-purpose aircraft and small planes have a unique feature: they have a large carrying capacity and are easy to modify.
In South America, wealthy and powerful "flour merchants" would acquire second-hand or resold Hextech aircraft through various black market channels and then simply install heavy machine guns and rocket launchers on the cabin doors and belly of the aircraft!
When they encountered the Coast Guard intercepting them on the way to deliver the cargo, instead of running away, they opened the hatch and unleashed a barrage of fire.
The Coast Guard, which thought they were only intercepting civilian aircraft, was caught off guard and suffered heavy losses several times in the face of the modified firepower and superior maneuverability of the Hextech aircraft. Their patrol boats were riddled with bullets.
With its firepower, performance, and durability, it's practically a gunship tailor-made for flour merchants!
This led to a protest from Xiaomei's family.
"Who gave you permission to sell these aircraft, which can be easily converted for military use, to those criminals in South America?!"
Look at this! This is what extreme double standards and shamelessness look like!
They can't build good airplanes themselves and get eliminated by the market, so they blame other people's airplanes for being too easy to modify!
Li Aiguo learned about these things from Yang Jizong, and felt that the unreasonableness of some people in Xiaomei's family was innate.
Those flour merchants never bought planes directly from Hextech; they always acquired other people's planes and modified them.
It's like a certain medicine in later generations. It's clearly meant to cure diseases, but they insist on using it to get high, and when things go wrong, they turn around and blame others.
"Well, let them do whatever they want. But you still need to strengthen your intelligence network and keep a close eye on those flour makers. We can't let them extend their reach over our side."
"Don't worry, they're all very well-behaved. Anyone who dares to cause trouble will be getting shot."
Yang Jizong is no longer the gentle and refined young master he once was.
After all, dealing with ruthless warlords and drug lords on the international black market requires more than just politeness and reason; guns and power are the only true means to win.
"Aiguo, your phone has been busy the whole time. The railway institute asked me to inform you that a component for the electric train has been manufactured." Section Chief Xing's voice arrived before he did.
(End of this chapter)